This article contains spoilers for the anime episode of Vinland Saga Season 2 titled “Oath” on Crunchyroll and Netflix.
The eighth episode of the second season of the Vikingland Saga had Thorfinn (Yuto Uemura) battling on several fronts. His crops were also being destroyed by farm workers, who were attacking his and Einar’s (Shunsuke Takeuchi) labor-intensive crops as well as his psyche, which was being attacked by horrible nightmares of his past. The tension reached its peak when Thorfinn attacked one of the farm workers because the guys had reached their limit. Even though they were legally correct, it’s unlikely that Thorfinn and Einar will escape this situation unhurt.
Vinland Saga Season 2 Episode 9 Recap
A younger Thorfinn wakes up at the beginning of the episode, happy to discover that his current existence was only a dream. In the meantime, the genuine Thorfinn, still unconscious from the fight with the farmhands, is on the ground.
Einar continues to deal with the farmhands on his own while Thorfinn is out. The farmhands give up when he won’t stop fighting and depart.
Also Read: Vinland Saga Season 2 Episode 9 Release Date, Time, and Where to Watch
Thorfinn’s Dream
In his dream, Thorfinn is lying in the grass when his father approaches and tells him there is blood around. The tone of the dream abruptly changes to a bloody nightmare in which Thorfinn stabs a little boy, prompting him to inquire as to who his son killed. When he turns the child’s head to see Einar, Thorfinn starts to cry. His father apologises above him for not being present to provide further knowledge.
Thorfinn then falls through a rocky passage and out of the ground, catching himself above a hellish abyss filled with the corpses of dead warriors engaged in an everlasting combat. When he asks whether this is Valhalla after seeing Askeladd, the man responds, “The underworld is a far nicer place.” He depicts the place that Thorfinn believes to be the final resting place of warriors, where everyone is your adversary and there are no winners or losers.
Askeladd informs Thorfinn that, in a previous life, he was imprisoned in this final place. Thorfinn recalls, but he also recalls being able to escape, which is a rare accomplishment for wounded fighters. But after letting his rage take over and assaulting someone, he now finds himself back.
Askeladd informs him that those are the bodies of persons Thorfinn has killed as the corpses start to climb one another to reach.
Askeladd advises Thorfinn to take the victims of his crimes to his real conflict in order to become a true warrior as he starts to cry.
Throfinn Wakes Up
Thorfinn finds Einar laying in the snow when he awakens from his dream. He instantly wakes up to tell Thorfinn they won the battle as he runs over to see if Einar is dead.
Thorfinn starts to cry, surprising Einar despite his congratulations for victory. He wonders if Thorfinn is hurt, but instead, Thorfinn is angry that he behaved violently after killing so many innocent people for so many years.
Vinland Saga Season 2 Episode 9 Ending Explained
Thorfinn tells Einar that he is embarking on a new life and sworn to never again cause harm to anybody. Einar assures Throfinn he understands even though he doesn’t completely.
The farmhands are furious when they tell Ketil about their altercation with Thorfinn and Einar and learn that he won’t punish them. The evidence Ketil uncovered against the farmhands is made public, and he declares that the official narrative will be that a boar destroyed the field without engaging in combat.
Sverkel leads Thorfinn and Einar as they clear more fields towards the end of the episode.
Thorfinn’s dream sequence in Season 2 Episode 9 was expertly animated, with certain scenes being so vivid they were almost difficult to see. We’ve probably never witnessed Thorfinn cry so hard while expressing his feelings. Although it was a tragic scene, it was also well-acted and appropriate for his character. Thorfinn finally seemed to have come to terms with his history in a way that would enable him to let go of the person he had been. As Thorfinn’s ability to cope with his trauma was so essential to the first half of the series, it will be intriguing to watch where it leads.
Also Read: Season 1 Episode 8 Recap: Tomo-Chan is a Girl!
What did you think of Vinland Saga Season 2 Episode 9 of the anime series? Please leave a comment below.